What prevents business owners from using research is usually a case of misplaced ego.

Most business owners are entrepreneurs or small businesses.

They tend to hold strong opinions (from experience or not) of what will or won’t work.

Many are not in the habit of looking outward for answers and prefer to think they know best.

Ask yourself these questions, the next time you’re likely to go it alone:

1) If I’m wrong, how much will it cost me?

2) How long can I afford to be wrong before I run out of money?

3) Have I asked for input from my customers or prospects that have no stake in whether I succeed or fail?

4) Have I asked my customers and prospects what they need and want from me and my business?

5) Do I know if my customers think I’m giving them what they need and want?

6) Do I know what else I can provide my customers so that they’ll pay me more…and be happier about it?

7) Do my customers and prospects know the benefits of buying from me?

8) Do I know with certainty why my prospects go to a competitor rather than me?

Now, open your mind. 

Remember, you aren’t in it alone and it needn’t cost you a fortune to tap into the best advice you’ll ever get.

Start listening to your customers, clients, patients and prospects.

At least once a week ask yourself this question.

Can you stand to know your  customers, clients, patients or prospects might be smarter than you in helping you grow your business?

How often has this question been asked by you, your boss, your sales manager, or someone else?

The only one who really knows the answer is your former client.

So, why don’t you ask this person why s/he no longer buys from your company? You might get lucky and find a client who is prepared to talk, but keep in mind that s/he has moved on and may not want to talk to you.

Also, your customer probably will give you only one reason, then thank you for your efforts and wish you well.

How much have you learned? Not much at all.

Recently, I lost a client for whom I had created a suc­cessful direct-mail campaign. This marketing effort had produced a nice 1,148.85% Return on Investment (ROI).

Later, I found out from my client she was upset with the slow response that she was getting from me regarding a marketing questionnaire for which she had paid. After answering the questions, my client wanted her market­ing analysis, but we just couldn’t seem to find a mutually convenient time to get together.

Ultimately, I gave her a refund on the questionnaire and we parted friends.

However, to this day I feel that there had to be some­thing more. Maybe there was a hidden “decision-maker,” someone else who had a final say about who my client does business with or who harbored some ill feeling. I felt very bad when I lost my client because I was hoping that there would be a long and profitable relationship for both of us.

Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint the definite reason why someone chooses to stop giving you his/her busi­ness.

It can be hard to determine what complaints s/he had about you that led to the decision. Oftentimes, you are left with very little information. Working backwards to discover what went wrong can be very difficult.

However, if you are prepared to ask a new client for a lit­tle time after the first sale or, even better, after s/he has been buying from you for awhile, then you probably can determine the things that keep him or her coming back and buying from you.

After the relationship with your client gets past the new phase and is “long-term,” ask him/her why you get his/her business. There will be many reasons, not just one or two. You may have to probe a little, so ask some open-ended questions. I’m sure that it will be worth it.

Build a file or a database of the answers that you get—the reasons why your clients came to you, of course, but also (if possible) the reasons that they stopped using your competition.

Learn from their answers and discover what you can do to prevent clients from going somewhere else. You can benefit by using what you have learned with your next prospect. This information will help you to convert him or her into a new client.

What are you willing to ask your clients about?

7 Questions To Ask Before Writing Your Marketing Plan

Have you ever wondered how to streamline creating a marketing plan?

Can I show you 7 simple things to ask to help speed up creating your next marketing plan?

The first question to ask is, “Do I really need a marketing plan.”
You may not. If everything you are doing to bring in all the business you want, don’t change a thing. Even if you or your staff are bored with it. Let it keep profiting until it stops profiting.

Next ask, “What do I want a marketing plan to do for me and my business.”
Many marketing plans are written as part of a business plan. Also, marketing plans are written when looking for new or more funding. Most marketing plans are created as a road map, a guide to the next 12-18 months of marketing campaigns

Now, “What is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?” Answer in a compelling way, why anyone would choose your products, services or ideas over all the other choices they have, including doing nothing.

Of course, you are making and “Irresistible Offer” every time you are in front of someone. Business and marketing are all about offers.  You give me this and I’ll give you that. Keep in mind that without an offer, no business transpires. Think of the many times you have seen an advertisment or marketing message and couldn’t figure out what was being offered. Don’t make this critical mistake. State exactly what you will be offering in your marketing plan.

OK, “Where is your ideal future client or customer?” Not just anyone, but who is the ideal fit for your products, services or ideas. Where can you find enough of your ideal future clients to be profitable? When you do find them, how much do you know about their hopes, aspirations, desires, fears, problems, etc? Take off your shoes and walk in your future clients shoes for a week and see, hear and feel what they see hear and feel. Then and only then, will you know their real problems.

I’m sure you’ve decided on which, if any, of the many of the different “marketing media options you’ll want to test.” Options like direct respons mailing campaigns, yellow page ads or email marketing. How about tele-marketing, newspaper display ads or Webinars? Networking, Social media marketing or pay-per-click marketing? We could go on and on and on, but you get the idea. Where are you going to spend your marketing budget?

Finally, as long as you are going after new clients, “How are you capturing their personal information?” I don’t mean their shoe size, waist size or height (but you may need them depending on what you are selling). Are you asking for their name, email address and snail mail address? If not, how will you communicate with them in the future?

Now grab a piece of paper and start answering these questions. Doing so will focus your marketing plan and anyone reading it will know exactly the what, where, when, who and how you are planning to market your business.

Ok, I admit it; there are more then 7 questions to answer.
You should have seen the ones I edited out.
I’ve saved them for another article in the near future, so keep checking back.

What to speed up the creation of your advertsing and marketing plan?

Coming in August http://www.FastMarketingPlan.com

Proof Will Help You Sell More Products, Services and Ideas:

Go ahead, take a few minutes today and look at every marketing message you are putting out…

Ask yourself:
Am I providing my reader, viewer and listener the proof and credibility that what I’m saying is indeed true?

How many times have you seen an ad on TV and said to yourself “Yea. Right. Sure it is?”

Let’s face it… we are all slammed with so many marketing messages a day, that we stop believing most of them.

So how do make your marketing messages more believable?

Start by take a closer look at the benefits of what you are selling.

Think about all the ways you can prove your benefits actually exist.
Ask yourself:
•    What are the strongest “Reasons Why” anyone should believe they’ll get what I promise?
•    How much more specific can I be?
•    What solid proof have I offered showing what I claim it true?
•    Have I begun to think about how I can strengthen my guarantees?
•    Is there a way to demonstrate your product/service in action?
•    Can you get a celebrity endorsement?

Answer these questions and apply these ideas to what you are selling and you are well on your way to providing the proof people need to believe your benefits will deliver.

“No way of thinking or doing, however ancient, can be trusted without proof.”
-Henry David Thoreau

Quick Bonus Marketing Tip:

Thousands of marketing experts say that it costs 5 to 6 times more to win a new client than it does to retain an existing one.  What about your company? Is it true for you too?

Yet, most companies spend a small portion of their sales and marketing budget on client relationship management.

Take a moment and think about how much more profit you could generate by deepening your existing client relationships?

Rather than finding ways to get your sales people to “make 20 unqualified appointments this week,” instead, think about the easiest way to building stronger relationships.

Think about all the way you can say “Thank You.” All the ways you can show that you appreciate their business and enjoy the relationship you have.

Here are a few simple ways to get you started.
1. Send a hand written thank you card or note.
2. Drop off a small gift.
3. Bring a flower to the gatekeeper you’re trying to get past.
4. Take your client to breakfast or lunch to talk about ways to improve profits in the coming year.
5. Hold a customer appreciation party.
6. Have your CEO write a personal letter of thanks.

Now go out and give thanks. Show your appreciation.
It feels great and is sure reduces your client attrition rate.

How many problems can you solve?

How many times have you waste your time worrying about problems that already have been solved by someone else?

Many other people have faced problems similar to the ones that you will run into.

More than likely, they have found solutions to these problems and may be willing to share their solutions with you.

Sometimes, many times, the solution to your problem may be found in another industry.

There are experts on solving problems everywhere:  fathers, mothers, mentors. Your suppliers, your employees and clients. Business “gurus,” trade groups or associations, librarians, the Small Business Administration, your banker, your CPA and industry leaders.

An answer to the problem that you’re facing even could come from the place you would never think about.

For example, I can’t remember where, I once read a story about how the management of a hotel dealt with their customers’ complaints about long waiting times for elevators. One of the hotel chambermaid suggested putting mirrors next to the elevators so that people wouldn’t mind the wait. Now, most hotels use this simple but effective technique.

The point is, when you have a “situation,” you need to be able to get to someone who has faced something like it before. Is in the trenches, everyday.

“There is a great difference between worry and concern. A worried person sees a problem, and a concerned person solves a problem.”
- Harold Stephen

In most instances, a problem can be solved or fixed merely by mentioning to someone,”I have a problem and I need your help.”

Most people want to be helpful and will help along the way.

You just need to be willing to ask.

What problems are you having?

Are you afraid to ask for help?  Don’t be.

How would you like to be on the top of a best-seller list?

Well, then, why not create your own “best-seller list”
and feature it prominently in your marketing efforts?

People buy what is popular.

The higher up on the best-seller list that an item is—i.e. the more “popular” that it becomes—the more that sales for the item will climb.

For example, if you own an ice cream parlor, create a best-seller list of the most popular flavors of ice cream that you sell.

Post the list at several highly visible locations.
When folks come in, watch the sales of your best-selling ice cream soar!

You can create a best-selling list for any
product/service that you offer.

The power of suggestion helps people who do not know
what they want as well as those who are having trouble choosing what they want.

Many people just can’t make a decision
(sometimes even a life-saving decision), so why not help
them along by showing them what other folks like the best?

Some clients of mine (a husband-and-wife team who run a
carpet-cleaning service) were having trouble selling their service.

We created a best-seller list of the services that
the company offered by using good, better, and best offerings.

This list helped the couple’s prospects to choose the
services that they wanted based on what other people had done in the past.

The sales and profits on these “best-sellers” have increased dramatically.

This means that the sales and profits for the company
are up overall, which was our goal in the first place!

How can you create a “best-seller” list for your products/services?

What marketing efforts are your competitors using?

• Call your competitor on the telephone and pose as a prospective client.
• Talk to their sales staff
• Ask the right questions and most salespeople will tell you exactly what you want to know about their business. Many salespeople love to talk about themselves and their business. This can help you with your research.
• Collect your competitors’ brochures, ads, and sales letters.
• Record their voice messages and their radio and TV commercials.
• Visit their booths at trade shows and go to their showrooms.
• Also, check out their Web site(s).
  Most Web sites will give you a lot of information about how the company does business with its clients. The site may even provide a list of clients, which can become a great “target list” for your own sales efforts.
  While visiting the Web sites of your competitors, request more information regarding their companies and their products/services. Then, keep an accurate record about how quickly they respond.

How Much Information Do You Have?

The first time that I really became aware of the vast array of information available to me for use in marketing my clients’ businesses, it blew me away.

One of the best sources of information is your local library.
Call the reference desk and ask where you need to look for specific information. The librarians will lead you to many sources that you never knew existed.

Most of the recommended resources may be within the library walls or available through the library Web site. In fact, some librarians will do research for you if you just ask them for their help.

My local list broker, Ted Kelter, Vice President of Burnett Direct of Farmington Hills, Michigan, is a great information source. I call him on a regular basis and pick his brain. Ted has been an invaluable resource when I am digging for information to use to market my clients’ products/services.

His “list” advice and direct marketing expertise have been a very profitable resource for my clients.

I suggest that you call Ted 248-932-7100 or look for list brokers in your area. Get to know them and use their services.

Here are some other information source possibilities: I often consult my local Chamber of Commerce because they know who is new in town, who is leaving town, and why.

The local newspapers are great for monitoring the advertisements that your competitions are running. Also, classified ads in newspapers will tell you who is hiring. Bankruptcy lists will tell you where to buy inexpensive equipment that you can use to grow your business.

Local college business offices are another great source to find out who is hiring. They also can connect you with “interns,” college students who are inexpensive to hire and can bring fresh ideas to your business.

Your local “Yellow Pages” and “Online Yellow Pages” have been a consistent source for new business.

For example: I Look for industries that spend a lot of money in the various “Yellow Pages,” and I offer my marketing services to them. The advertising in the “Yellow Pages” will inform you about how much competition you have and how your competitors advertise their services.

Another great source of information is in the Federal Government reports that are available on the Web. A starting point for finding them is www.LOC.gov (Library of Congress). There are thousands of reports available on many subjects. Some of these reports are free, while there may be a very small fee for others. Also, the Web is an endless source of information that can be found almost instantly. If you can think of it, it usually can be found.

What information do you need today that could help you to market your business tomorrow?

Where are you going to go to find it?

Are You Researching Your Prospects To Improve Your Business?

Focus, focus, focus.

First and foremost, focus on the potential clients to whom you want to sell your products/services and not on what you are trying to sell.

If you know who your intended clients are and you can address them directly in the headlines and body copy of your print or broadcast promotions, then this will improve the rate of response to your marketing effort.

For example, the following headlines address a target market by talking to them very specifically: “Attention Homeowners, Do You Need Extra Cash? It May Be In Your Home!” and “The Complete Sales Program for Dentists.”

In order to target your prospects well, you need to do some initial research.

Ask your prospects exactly what they want by using direct questions, client surveys, and informal studies. You could mail a questionnaire or survey to your existing clients that asks them why they do business with you.

Use their answers to direct your marketing messages to the specific wants and needs of your prospects. Target only those prospective buyers that are most qualified to purchase your products or services.

It is important to research the type of clients that make up your market and what it is that they really want. Prospects want to know what added value your company can offer them, so you must be ready to provide the reasons why they should buy from you. Your research should enable you to do this well.

The more that you know about your clients and prospects, the easier that it is to give them more than they expect. You need to gather all of the information that you can about your prospects. In order to be able to sell something to someone, you have to know how they feel, how they think, what they fear, where they live, etc. Most importantly, you need to know WHY they want to buy what you have to offer!

Try to visualize a day in the life of your potential client.
What happens in it?
What does the person worry about?
What does s/he want?
What scares him/her?
What does s/he enjoy doing?

I could go on and on here, but you get the idea. Do your research. Ask a lot of questions. Think about and try to analyze why your clients do what they do. If you do this consistently, eventually you will begin to know why they buy from you, or why they don’t.

Start your research by asking your existing clients why they do business with you.

If you can find a way to do it, ask your former customers why they stopped doing business with you or what you could be doing to get their business back. The answers that you get can teach you an awful lot about how people perceive your business.

Hopefully, you will learn from what you hear.

Another thing that you can do is go to the local library and read the magazines and other publications to which your clients subscribe. Learn about your clients by reading what they read. If you don’t know which publications you should be studying, then ask your customers what they read. Look up articles in back issues that are posted on the Internet. Use all of the information that you can gather to sell your prospects what they already want to buy.

Why is it that your clients buy your products/services?

What Makes Your Business, Products, And Services Unique?

It is very important to think in terms of what your business can do for the prospective customer.

A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is the first marketing effort that you should think about for your business. Your USP is written to separate your business from your competition. It does this by telling the world what is unique about the product/service that your business offers.

Your USP should create tension, desire, and urgency in the reader’s mind. Written in one clear, concise sentence, your USP should be the essence of what you are offering.

Your USP should come immediately to your client’s mind when s/he thinks of your products/services.

Can you provide three compelling reasons for doing business with your company? For example, “Fast, cheap, and good” or “Simple, easy, and lucrative.” Your USP then should answer these questions: “How fast?” “Why is it easy?” “What’s so cost effective about it?”

Your USP should be good enough to be used as a headline in any of your marketing efforts. The best USPs are written so tightly that not a single word can be changed.

Here are some examples of great USPs:
“Good to the Last Drop;”
“Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking;”
“Fresh Hot Pizza Delivered in 30 Minutes, Guaranteed;”
“Because So Much Is Riding on Your Tires.”

I bet that you can name the companies to which these USPs belong.

Does your business have a concise, unique, and effective USP?

Why should someone buy your products/services?

Dan Kennedy, the author of many marketing and business books, including How to Make Millions with Your Ideas: An Entrepreneurs Guide (Plume, 1996), asks an important question: “Why should I choose your business/products/service over any/every other competitive option available to me?”

This question should help you to open up your mind and get you thinking about your USP. It should give your customers a complete answer to this question.

Does yours?

If you have a problem answering the vital question of why someone should choose to do business with your company, then it will be even harder for your clients and prospects to answer it. This will make it hard for him/her to buy whatever it is that you are selling.

Do you know if your customers realize why they should be buying from your company?

What are the benefits of your products/services?

Sometimes it’s hard to come up with anything unique about your business, so it may be easier for you to express the benefits that you offer to your clients.
H. Brad Antin and Alan Antin, the authors ofSecrets from the Lost Art of Common Sense Marketing (Antin Marketing Group, 1992), have devised an alternative to developing your USP.

They call it a “Statement of Benefit,” or SOB.

Ask yourself, what are the real benefits that people get when they buy from me? Dig deep. Try to identify the biggest benefit of, or the hidden benefits in, doing business with you.

Only after you learn the real reasons why people decide to buy from you can you package and present your information to your buyers from their own perspective. When you do this, you can crush the competition.

When your client or prospect is looking for an answer to a specific problem, your SOB should be able to answer it. Here are two examples of great SOBs: “When it Absolutely, Positively Has to Be There Overnight” and “Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hand.” Your SOB should lead your client or prospect to you.

What “benefits” solve your client’s problems?